Romans 1:4

1:4 who was appointed the Son-of-God-in-power ¹  according to the Holy Spirit ²  by the resurrection ³  from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 1:19

1:19 because what can be known about God is plain to them, ⁴  because God has made it plain to them.

Romans 1:23

1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings ⁵  or birds or four-footed animals ⁶  or reptiles.

Romans 2:2

2:2 Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth ⁷  against those who practice such things.

Romans 3:3

3:3 What then? If some did not believe, does their unbelief nullify the faithfulness of God?

Romans 3:21-22

3:21 But now ⁸  apart from the law the righteousness of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets) ⁹  has been disclosed – 3:22 namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ ¹⁰  for all who believe. For there is no distinction,

Romans 8:17

8:17 And if children, then heirs (namely, heirs of God and also fellow heirs with Christ) ¹¹  – if indeed we suffer with him so we may also be glorified with him.

Romans 9:6

9:6 It is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all those who are descended from Israel are truly Israel, ¹² 

Romans 11:33

11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how fathomless his ways!

Romans 13:6

13:6 For this reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities ¹³  are God’s servants devoted to governing. ¹⁴ 

Romans 15:8

15:8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised ¹⁵  on behalf of God’s truth to confirm the promises made to the fathers, ¹⁶ 

[1:4]  ¹ sn Appointed the Son-of-God-in-power. Most translations render the Greek participle ὁρισθέντος (Jorisqentos, from ὁρίζω, Jorizw) “declared” or “designated” in order to avoid the possible interpretation that Jesus was appointed the Son of God by the resurrection. However, the Greek term ὁρίζω is used eight times in the NT, and it always has the meaning “to determine, appoint.” Paul is not saying that Jesus was appointed the “Son of God by the resurrection” but “Son-of-God-in-power by the resurrection,” as indicated by the hyphenation. He was born in weakness in human flesh (with respect to the flesh, v. 3) and he was raised with power. This is similar to Matt 28:18 where Jesus told his disciples after the resurrection, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

[1:4]  ² tn Grk “spirit of holiness.” Some interpreters take the phrase to refer to Christ’s own inner spirit, which was characterized by holiness.

[1:4]  ³ tn Or “by his resurrection.” Most interpreters see this as a reference to Jesus’ own resurrection, although some take it to refer to the general resurrection at the end of the age, of which Jesus’ resurrection is the first installment (cf. 1 Cor 15:23).

[1:19]  ⁴ tn Grk “is manifest to/in them.”

[1:23]  ⁷ tn Grk “exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God in likeness of an image of corruptible man.” Here there is a wordplay on the Greek terms ἄφθαρτος (afqarto", “immortal, imperishable, incorruptible”) and φθαρτός (fqarto", “mortal, corruptible, subject to decay”).

[1:23]  ⁸ sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 106:19-20.

[2:2]  ¹⁰ tn Or “based on truth.”

[3:21]  ¹³ tn Νυνὶ δέ (Nuni de, “But now”) could be understood as either (1) logical or (2) temporal in force, but most recent interpreters take it as temporal, referring to a new phase in salvation history.

[3:21]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “being witnessed by the law and the prophets,” a remark which is virtually parenthetical to Paul’s argument.

[3:22]  ¹⁶ tn Or “faith in Christ.” A decision is difficult here. Though traditionally translated “faith in Jesus Christ,” an increasing number of NT scholars are arguing that πίστις Χριστοῦ (pisti" Cristou) and similar phrases in Paul (here and in v. 26; Gal 2:16, 20; 3:22; Eph 3:12; Phil 3:9) involve a subjective genitive and mean “Christ’s faith” or “Christ’s faithfulness” (cf., e.g., G. Howard, “The ‘Faith of Christ’,” ExpTim 85 [1974]: 212-15; R. B. Hays, The Faith of Jesus Christ [SBLDS]; Morna D. Hooker, “Πίστις Χριστοῦ,” NTS 35 [1989]: 321-42). Noteworthy among the arguments for the subjective genitive view is that when πίστις takes a personal genitive it is almost never an objective genitive (cf. Matt 9:2, 22, 29; Mark 2:5; 5:34; 10:52; Luke 5:20; 7:50; 8:25, 48; 17:19; 18:42; 22:32; Rom 1:8; 12; 3:3; 4:5, 12, 16; 1 Cor 2:5; 15:14, 17; 2 Cor 10:15; Phil 2:17; Col 1:4; 2:5; 1 Thess 1:8; 3:2, 5, 10; 2 Thess 1:3; Titus 1:1; Phlm 6; 1 Pet 1:9, 21; 2 Pet 1:5). On the other hand, the objective genitive view has its adherents: A. Hultgren, “The Pistis Christou Formulations in Paul,” NovT 22 (1980): 248-63; J. D. G. Dunn, “Once More, ΠΙΣΤΙΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ,” SBL Seminar Papers, 1991, 730-44. Most commentaries on Romans and Galatians usually side with the objective view.

[8:17]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “on the one hand, heirs of God; on the other hand, fellow heirs with Christ.” Some prefer to render v. 17 as follows: “And if children, then heirs – that is, heirs of God. Also fellow heirs with Christ if indeed we suffer with him so we may also be glorified with him.” Such a translation suggests two distinct inheritances, one coming to all of God’s children, the other coming only to those who suffer with Christ. The difficulty of this view, however, is that it ignores the correlative conjunctions μέν…δέ (men…de, “on the one hand…on the other hand”): The construction strongly suggests that the inheritances cannot be separated since both explain “then heirs.” For this reason, the preferred translation puts this explanation in parentheses.

[9:6]  ²² tn Grk “For not all those who are from Israel are Israel.”

[13:6]  ²⁵ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the governing authorities) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:6]  ²⁶ tn Grk “devoted to this very thing.”

[15:8]  ²⁸ tn Grk “of the circumcision”; that is, the Jews.

[15:8]  ²⁹ tn Or “to the patriarchs.”